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Wednesday, January 3, 2024

CFP: 10th Annual National RAW.Conference on COMPARATIVE LITERATURE: PERSPECTIVES, PRACTICES, POSITIONS: 5th – 7th March 2024 University of Hyderabad


Centre for Comparative Literature

School of Humanities University of Hyderabad

Hyderabad, Telangana – 500046, India



CALL FOR PAPERS


“We all know that the word ‘method’ is eventually derived from the Greek ‘methodos’ which again is derived from ‘meta’ meaning ‘after’ and ‘hodos’ meaning ‘way’. If method is moving after a way, then it must have been arrived at after moving wayward for some time.” 

-Amiya Dev, “Comparative Literature from Below”, JJCL 29


Comparative literature is a way of reading literature. Literature is the object of study and the method is ‘comparative’. This begs questions like: what does a comparative reading entail? Why should we study literature comparatively? And most importantly, how do we do a comparative reading? These questions have been raised time and again at different locations, both by people within and outside the discipline and various answers have been offered. Historically, different ‘schools’ of comparative literature (the French school, the Russian school, the German school et al.) have conceptualized the method of comparison in different ways. If we look at comparative literature as a situated interpretive practice (as opposed to a theory or body of works), the question of (spatio-temporal and cultural) location becomes very important. Given our location in the plurilingual and pluricultural society of India, where living with plurality and difference is part of our quotidian reality, can we think of an Indian way of doing comparative literature founded upon plurality, relationality and an ethical engagement with difference?


Given the nature of literature which is marked by the singularity of each ‘text’ and its irreducible difference from another of its kind, how do we conceptualize a comparative method that is sensitive to this fact? Our method should follow a  “from below” (Amiya Dev) approach which modifies itself according to the literary data and does not tweak data to fit the method and creates an open and inclusive discourse. Such an approach makes comparative literature a willing and ethical engagement with alterity and difference aimed at understanding the Other. Our textual practices of reading, writing and interpretation are aimed at understanding the process of textualization, its production and reception, in order to access through literature what Simone de Beauvoir calls a “taste of another life”. These acts of conscious and reflective reading taking into account the ontological plurality, relationality and living with alterity which are conditions of our being, we believe, are fundamental to comparative literature as a practice across the world.  


Apart from this, what else can we say, if anything, in general about our research method  given that each literary text is singular and hence, each engagement with it is unique? What are the essential characteristics our method must have so that we don’t move too wayward and invite charges of dilettantism that is often levelled against our discipline? Given the history of the discipline which has been beset by a number of crises, even pronouncements of death, calls for dissolution into other disciplines which are often from the Anglo-Saxon academia, how should the comparative method be applied, especially in the Indian academia, to different areas of research and assert its vitality and relevance for a location like ours? What makes our practice different from that of other disciplines like English studies, cultural studies, translation studies, area studies etc.? What is the relationship of comparative practice with theory? How do we negotiate with categories that are often used for the study of literature such as those based on region (South Asia, the Global South, the ‘third world’, regional language literatures, the Commonwealth, the nation), history (the post-colonial, industrial modernity) or identity (based on caste, class, race, gender, sexuality, religion,  and other theories of marginalization)? What are the ethics and aesthetics of our engagement with alterity and plurality? Can we interrogate received categories and ideas of comparison and construct a method for research that is suitable to study our lived realities? This conference is an attempt to bring fellow comparatists together to reflect on these questions and clarify for ourselves and “others” the relevance of comparative literature methodology for literary studies today, in India and elsewhere and share our insights and ideas from the point of view of our own practice of comparative literature.


We invite papers that engage with, but not limited to, the following themes:

  • Literary historiography, genology and thematology: Integrated approaches

  • Comparative poetics: Sanskrit, Tamil, Greek, Perso-Arabic et al.

  • Literature and other arts: relations and intermediality

  • Reception aesthetics and reception history

  • Organic plurality of Indian languages: implications for literary studies

  • Literary movements and movements of literatures

  • Otherness and difference: encounters, engagements and ethics

  • Literary relations: interliterariness, contact and literary transactions

  • India as a site for comparative literature

  • Comics and graphic narratives

  • Spatiality, temporality, chronotope, heterotopia

  • Affective and existential and experiential/phenomenological categories for literary studies

  • Canons: making, unmaking and beyond

  • Dismantling hierarchies in differences

  • Aesthetics: poetics and politics

  • Identity and difference: comparative perspectives vis-à-vis literature

  • Disability as difference

  • Discourses of identity and comparative literature: caste, class, race, religion,  gender, sexuality, marginality 

  • Virtuality and literariness: new forms and modes of writing

  • Orality, oratures, oral and performance traditions

  • Narratology, narrativization and narratives of the other/ othered narratives


We expect the papers to deal with the practical aspects of Comparative Literature and demonstrate how the comparative approach shapes their actual practice of engaging with and reading literary and cultural texts, practices and phenomena. In other words, we expect to see the application of the comparative approach in reading of particular ‘texts’ in the papers and not just an exploration of theoretical ideas. Research scholars working in any discipline, particularly those working in literary studies in any language from a comparative perspective, are encouraged to send in their abstracts. Language of presentation will be English only due to logistical reasons. 





Abstracts of about 300 words with a title and 5-6 keywords may be uploaded to https://forms.gle/dwt7tKGxgnWiJTLeA  by  25th January 2024.

RAW.Con or Researchers at Work Conference is an annual offline event organized by the students of the Centre for Comparative Literature (CCL) at the University of Hyderabad. The conference is open to students who have registered for Ph.D. or aspiring PhD scholars (a few slots are available for MA students). As per practice, some of the eminent scholars will also be invited as resource persons for the conference. Candidates whose abstracts have been selected will be informed by 10th  February 2024. If your abstract is accepted after review, you will be required to email the full paper by 24th February 2024. Selected paper presenters will be provided bed and board, and often train fare as well, if the budget allows.


Organizing Team: 

Asit Kumar Biswal 

Jomina C. George 

R. Lalhriatpuii


Call For Chapters are invited on #Dalit History and #Literature



Concept Note:

Dalit History and Literature offer a unique and critical perspective on the marginalized communities in India. The struggle, resilience, and creative expression of the Dalit community have generated a rich tapestry of narratives, making it imperative to explore this literary and historical treasure trove. The proposed book, Voices of Resilience: Exploring Dalit History and Literature, aims to be a comprehensive collection of articles delving into the rich tapestry of Dalit history and Dalit literature. This edited volume seeks to bring together scholars and experts from the History and English literature domain to offer multifaceted insights into the unique cultural, social, and literary heritage of the Dalit community in India. This book is an attempt to bridge the gap in our understanding of Dalit History and Literature by providing a platform for critical analysis, interpretation, and exploration. It will serve as a reference work for students, scholars, and anyone interested in Dalit scholarship.


THEMES IN DALIT HISTORY:
History of the origin and development of Dalit discourse
Society, Caste & Dalits through the ages in Indian History
History of discrimination and exclusion
Dalit Movements in Modern Indian History
Socio-political ideology and contribution of Major reformers & thinkers

THEMES IN DALIT LITERATURE:
Biographical analyses: Dalit autobiographical narratives and memoirs
Analyses of Unique poetic forms and aesthetics in Dalit poetry
Contribution of Dalit literature in social and political change
Diversity of Dalit literature in regional languages
Recurring motifs, issues, and social struggles in Dalit literature
Comparative studies between Dalit literature and mainstream literature.



Initial Guidelines:
An abstract of 300 words (5-6 keywords and 100 words brief-bio of author) is invited on the mentioned (or relevant) themes. The selected abstracts will be shortlisted after review and the Authors will be informed of the full paper (3000-3500 words) submission as per guidelines.
File type: MS Word/ Times New Roman – 12 Font size – 1.5 spaced – one-inch margin on all sides
Title of the Chapter: Times New Roman – 16 font-size - bold – centre aligned.
Author name –14 font size – centre aligned.
Author details (Designation, University/College affiliation, email, State/Province, Country) –11 size – centre aligned.
An article processing charge (APC) of INR 1000 [for international scholars -USD 25] will be charged for the final accepted papers (this includes one hard copy of the book along with postal charges)

DEADLINES:

Abstract Submission Deadline: 15 Jan. 2024

Abstract Acceptance Notice: 30 Jan. 2024

Full chapter Submission Deadline: 30 April 2024

Peer Review and Revision: 15 June 2024

Expected book release: 15 Aug. 2024

Note: The book will be published with ISBN no. by a National publisher (India).




Editorial Team

CFP: International Graduate Conference: #Protecting Our #Education, #Protecting Our #Futures- University of #Cincinnati -March 1, 2024

 





According to CRT Forward, a tracking project initiative created by the UCLA School of Law’s Critical Race Studies Program that “provides a comprehensive examination of anti-CRT measures limiting teaching, curricula, trainings, access to certain texts and books, and policy alterations,” there are at least 750 anti-critical race theory (anti-CRT) measures in play across the country. Similarly, The Chronicle of Higher Education’s DEI Legislation Tracker is following 40 bills that prohibit a variety of pro-DEI activities and initiatives.These varying legislative measures have been devised at every level of governance, from local school boards to city and state governments. However, despite the wide geographical and legislative range, these measures all share a common aim: to restrict educational institutions’ control over what will be taught and who will teach it.

Such political and legislative pressures make up just one facet of what is a more widespread concern among administrators, educators, and students: liberal arts educational values are under threat. While such a truth is by no means new, today’s task of protecting educational access, freedom, and control is uniquely contextualized by, among other considerations, unprecedented political realities, evolving AI technologies, and persistent social and cultural upheaval. It is this unique moment that inspires the theme for this year’s University of Cincinnati Graduate Student Conference: Protecting Our Education, Protecting Our Futures.

We aim for this conference to be truly interdisciplinary. Thus, we envision presenters from a variety of backgrounds and representing a range of approaches speaking to this theme by sharing research that highlights issues—from a global to a local scale—which pose a threat to the values of education. In highlighting these issues, we hope that presenters will also offer their ideas for ways to manage these threats, or even turn them into opportunities for learning. While we encourage a wide application of this theme, some possible topics include:

  • DEI initiatives in educational spaces
  • Labor conditions in educational spaces
  • Un/Ethical AI use in educational spaces
  • Non-/Violence in/around educational spaces
  • The value of a liberal arts education
  • Social justice pedagogy and educational practices
  • Activist literacies, rhetorics, or pedagogies related to disability, antiracism, economic justice, linguistic justice, gender, and/or sexuality
  • Public protest ideologies, histories, or materialities
  • Political rhetorics

Does this spark an idea? Share it with us! Please submit individual proposals of up to 250 words or panel proposals of no more than 500 words to UCGradConf2024@gmail.com by January 12, 2024. With your proposal, please also include your name, your university affiliation, your department affiliation, and the title of your presentation. For panel presentations, please designate different speakers by number and include the title of the presentation for each speaker. Each session will be an hour and 15 minutes long, with an average presentation time of 15 minutes. Alternative (multimodal, interactive, etc.) presentations are welcome.

Some good-to-know info: There is no registration fee for this conference. Not only that, lunch and other light refreshments will be provided. We know these are important considerations for graduate students! 


Conference Date: Friday, March 1, 2024

Conference Location: University of Cincinnati - Cincinnati, Ohio

Conference Website: https://ucgradconference2024.weebly.com/